Obama signs bill to help Indian River Lagoon

The Indian River Lagoon could receive some much-needed help as President Obama signed legislation Friday to reauthorize the National Estuary Program.

The legislation, whose chief sponsors included U.S. Reps. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, and Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, earmarks $26.5 million to help the nation's 28 estuaries, with extra money for those like the lagoon facing urgent ecological challenges such as algae blooms, sea grass loss and fish die-offs.

As of this year, the program is run locally by the Indian River Lagoon Council, a consortium of state and federal agencies and county and municipal governments along the 156-mile lagoon.

The legislation only reauthorizes the program; Congress still has to approve the money for it.